she's góód !

Today daughter and kids

went to the "Castlefest" Keukenhof, Lisse.

(this Sunday was the last of the four days

of performances, costumes, music, eating and FUN)

She has been working these last few weeks to make

fun outfits ...

You've seen it growing.

But when you go there you need to bring "stuff"

and you don't want to "spoil" your costume !

So together with the fierce Dragon rider Hiccup,

there was Toothless, his dragon :

trolley "Toothless"

Is she good or is she good !

(or am I prejudiced ...)

*

Yesterday we had our very special

Alpaca knitting club LUNCH !

This time we went to 

"De Buytenhof"

(if you live near Rotterdam I can gladly recommend

that you go there someday !!!
They have a lovely restaurant with good food, a shop,
you can pick flowers, strawberries or apples
depending what time of the year it is, of course )

Outside, in the shade of a screen

(it still promised to be another HOT day)

Some things finished, some things still in progress ...

And later :

a delicious lunch !

*

Last week my sweet "Queen of the night" bloomed again.

(Epiphyllum oxypetalum)

(number 8 and 9 !)

*

Slowly (my back is getting a bit better)

there comes a new necklace

Black, white, GRAY

I'm trying my luck with black beans too ...

???

(Alpaca) knitting club

After our Alpaca farm friend stopped

having us every first Saturday of the month

we smoothly changed into the habit

of hosting our group in turn

(we are 12 so that is no problem)

Today was my turn again

Sadly sitting in the garden was no option,

but there is room enough inside

We were (only) eight this time.

After the first round of coffee and tea

we always have a show-and-tell round

(the last pic : my everlasting socks, little knitting at the moment !)

A wonderful getting-together !

Thanks ladies !

Later I found a new Campanula : a blue one ...

the white ones were there a bit earlier

And ooooooh that rose ...

Wet, from a loooong night of rain !

August(us) in September ...

Yesterday we had a special day

with our "Alpaca" knitting group.

Every month we go to one of the members,

but once a year we go to

"Villa Augustus"

a lovely restaurant / hotel in Dordrecht.

In August some of us were away on holiday,

so this special "Villa Augustus - day" was

the first Saturday in September this time.

Because it was cloudy we were inside at first,

but after the sun came out we moved to the terras !

The vegetable / flower garden

looked gorgeous !

I didn't do much knitting :

I took the last of my paper strips to make

more hexahedrons
for the good-luck-charms
(ji xiang hua)

I have plenty now ...

All finished !

more knitting

Yesterday was another knitting day

because the "Alpaca-on-tour"

started this year on the second Saturday of the month,

all were present

(except for the one who is momentarily in Spain)

and two extra daughters !

(following their mothers' footsteps)

I took the extended owl family with me.

We admired our host's sphinx cat

(all wrinkles and no hair)

There were lots of homemade cookies, tea and coffee 

and a LOT of talking

about projects, yarn and patterns

(like usual at this kind of meetings)

One of our friends unloaded a bit of her superfluous stash

and all of us took some of her treasures home.

Thanks Ingrid !

Some hemp and linen for me

The rainbow coloured yarn will be a cowl

and is progressing nicely ...

August !

Today it was double August for us !

(and "us" meaning the knitting group

that started some years ago at the Alpaca farm,

then stopped, and went "on tour" this year

because it was fun, and we wanted it to continue)

So for me : 

bike, boat, bike in the other direction than normally :

namely to Dordrecht now.

We were in this holiday month not meeting

at one of our member's places, but, 

at the wonderful restaurant

Villa Augustus

It is housed in the former pump building

and water tower of the Dordrecht Waterworks

After the entrance you first get to the bakery and a market,

where you can buy the most wonderful presents

(for someone, or yourself)

Then you come to the restaurant part and then ...

to the terras and the garden !

With the hotel ...

in the water tower !

The garden is used to grow a lot of their own vegetables

(you can buy some of those in the little market too !)

Chatting and knitting

and drinking coffee and tea.

(and none of us could resist the de-li-ci-ous cakes !!!)

The weather was okay, and we had a wonderful morning !

If you ever go to Dordrecht ...
go visit Villa Augustus :
a true experience ! 

Easter weekend (and 4 - 4 - 15)

Oh yes, 

spring is definately coming our way !

(though the weather isn't that nice yet)

The weekend started off

with a very lovely 

(loud, according to Man, when he came back)

group of creative women.

(yeah : "praten en breien tegelijk" = knitting while talking)

The group that used to come together at the Alpaca farm,

is this year "on tour" :

every first Saturday of the month at someone else's place.

(a few more to arrive)

A lot of show and tell

My own work (with Fiona's lovely yarn !) but I didn't

do a lot of the lacy-bit stitches this morning ...

*

On Sunday the whole family had an appointment with the Easter Bunny

and we were glad to have sunshine although

it wasn't really warm yet.

The fun started at th front door : chocolate eggs !

Looking for more eggs in the back garden.

It wasn't easy because the Easter Bunny had done a good job hiding them !

But, with  a little help (of my friends)

And then, when his big sister was making special cupcakes,

the little one was ready to assist !

Mmmmmmmmmmm !

(they were goooooood !)